Never forget: Marblehead to mark 25th anniversary of desecration

Thursday

Jul 17, 2014 at 12:01 AMJul 17, 2014 at 7:52 AM

By William J. Dowdwdowd@wickedlocal.com

Marblehead Task Force Against Discrimination will hold an event Sunday, July 27, allowing the community to reflect on the 25th anniversary of the day a miscreant desecrated Temple Emanu-El and the Jewish Community Center.The public is encouraged to attend the event, which will begin at 4 p.m. at the JCC, 4 Community Road, and end at 5:30 p.m. at Temple Emanu-El, 393 Atlantic Ave.Dubbed a “celebration,” the gathering will commemorate Marbleheaders' quick response after a man spray painted Nazi swastikas and anti-Semitic symbols on JCC property and on Temple Emanu-El's synagogue on July 27, 1989.His actions instantly outraged the local community, spawning a series of acts of support and solidarity.“[This event's purpose is] to remind the community of the horrific hate crime that occurred in our community 25 years ago and to celebrate that Marblehead was then, and continues to be, an open and welcoming community to all,” said Helaine Hazlett, co-chairman of the task force.In the days that followed, over 2,500 people rallied together, walking on Atlantic Avenue to protest the man's actions. After several former and current town officials and religious leaders speak at the JCC, that walk of 25 years ago — from the JCC to Temple Emanu-El — will be reenacted.“This event will serve as a moment to conceptualize where we've been, look at how far we've come and understand what we're doing today to prevent it from happening again,” Rabbi David Meyer of Temple Emanu-El said at a recent planning meeting for the event.On Thursday afternoon, he stood alongside Hazlett, Our Lady Star of the Sea Deacon John Whipple and Marty Schneer, the JCC's executive director, outside the JCC pool, steps away from a large rock upon which the anti-Semitic symbols had been spray painted.Meyer added the event will also help “a new generation” learn about the desecration and the response to it.Close by, Hazlet noted she has vivid memories of sitting in a meeting at the JCC when someone knocked on the door and reported the incident.“They said, ‘I'll get a rag and clean the graffiti up,” Hazlett said. “I replied, ‘No. We're going to make an education experience out of this.”A week after the graffiti was discovered, a group of citizens, led by Hazlett, approached the Board of Selectmen on Aug. 2, 1989, to request the formation of a task force.The board created the task force without hesitation, with then-selectman Whipple casting the first vote.Over the past 25 years, its members have provided “constant vigilance,” holding regular meetings, creating informative programs and reacting to other incidents of discrimination. Moreover, the task force aims to maintain a steadfast message that any kind of discrimination, prejudice or bigotry is not tolerated in Marblehead.The scheduled gathering is the cornerstone of many events that have occurred throughout the year marking the task force's 25th anniversary.Poetry and writing was showcased in July during the Marblehead Festival of the Arts, and the anniversary was also highlighted as the town's interfaith covenant was exchanged in an annual ceremony in May. The library exhibited an exhibition, curated by Marblehead Museum's Pam Peterson, telling the story of Marblehead's fight against slavery in the 1860s.Details about the task force's work over the years will be featured at both the JCC and Temple Emanu-El, with several town officials, a representative from the Anti-Defamation League, members of the public and religious leaders slated to speak.